The ink expert who helped put away domestic diva Martha Stewart faced his own federal indictment yesterday, when he was charged with two counts of lying under oath.

Larry Stewart, the Secret Service laboratory director and self-proclaimed world authority on ink, claimed at Martha Stewart’s trial that he personally tested a note scribbled by co-defendant Peter Bacanovic at the edge of a document, determining it was written with different ink than the rest of the paper.

This suggested the note was added later to cover up illegal insider trading.

In reality, prosecutors say, an underling examined the ink – and Larry Stewart hogged the credit.

U.S. Attorney David Kelley insists the alleged perjury should not affect Martha Stewart’s case, since it was presented as evidence against Bacanovic only.

But the titan of taste begs to differ – she recently claimed on her Web site she should get a new trial. Her lawyers intend to request one this week.